


Three Flowers

by selftaughthuman



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Nonsense, Shenanigans, sprinkle of romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/selftaughthuman/pseuds/selftaughthuman
Summary: While cleaning up the rest of the Earth Kingdom, Korra finds something interesting in the galley of an airship.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Kudos: 211





	Three Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for any spelling/grammar errors.

Floating through the darkness with everything rendered miniature beneath; it was much-needed calm. Time passed unchecked as she steered, the airship cutting through the crisp evening and clearing her emotional fog. She’d gone with Korra on this mission, torn between the desire to avoid a certain prisoner and the desire to be near her girlfriend. In addition, troubles related to work had circled her mind restlessly for the past day or so. Repeated revisions to a second generation of the hummingbird suits summoned unpleasant and painful memories. These things weren’t torturing her per se, but being at the helm was a welcome mental diversion. Normally, she would’ve gone for a long drive to declutter her head, but that was not currently possible. Though she did miss the feel of a motor, the physical sensation of road rumbling under tires, this was an acceptable substitute.

They’d hoped things would iron themselves out after the removal of Commander Guan, but as per usual, things were not so simple. There had been several more missions required. Liberations of the re-education camps and negotiations with high-ranking officials holding out on complete surrender, both had been easier with Kuvira’s heavily monitored presence. Every other month or so, Team Avatar plus a few would find themselves aboard Su’s specially constructed airship replete with onboard surveillance and containment chambers for the prisoner, flying to some new corner of the Earth kingdom to settle trouble.

Sharp footfalls behind her drew eyelids downward, made her pull in a breath as she prepared for the premature evaporation of her alone time. Gazing over her shoulder, Asami's mood was further soured when she saw perhaps the last person she wanted to.

Kuvira was there in the puffed-chest stance that she tended toward, pushing a young man forward roughly. The gangly gentleman waved awkwardly, dress identifying him as a part of the crew. Remnants of sleep still sagged his face.

“He’s here to take over for you.” The woman announced.

Shaking her head and unclear why any such switch was necessary, she stared with purposeful directness. “That’s alright. I’m fine for a while.” 

“You’re needed,” The response was somewhat clipped and scuffed her edges. Apparently, she was to follow without any further discussion, at least that appeared to be the expectation. “Something more pressing came up.” Sighing, she gave the woman an expectant look, one she hoped would communicate that she had no intention of leaving the bridge without further clarification. “…with the Avatar.” It was added with an atypical cautiousness.

The mention of Korra commanded her immediate attention. Her understanding was that her girlfriend would be tied up most of the evening, meeting and chatting with several in their group about plans regarding the Earth Kingdom. 

“Okay,” Asami agreed, attempting to keep her personal reactions at bay. 

Scurrying by them, the man looked back hurriedly, intimidation turning his steps clumsy. The unsmiling former soldier watched with distaste, bored, and unblinking as she waited. Asami placed a quick, reassuring hand on the young man’s shoulder, thanked him before joining Kuvira.

As they left the bridge, wordless and at a set distance, she turned and broke their silence. “What’s going on? Is Korra okay?”

There was a small twitch, a short-lived scrap of worry on that usually stern face, which made her stomach flip inside out. “She’s functioning…mostly. It’s beyond words. In any case, she’s asking for you. Yelling for you actually. Just follow me.” That was not comforting in the slightest, nor did it help when Kuvira knocked on the galley door before entering. Asami could hear nothing behind the steel door. No answer greeted them either at the knock or when they pushed it open. 

In the middle of the floor, cross-legged, was Korra. Her pupils were expanded to such an extent that it hid any color. Unseeing, those familiar eyes shined wetly, contrasting with unusually flushed cheeks.

Around a small gasp, she posed a question to no one. “What happened?” 

Kuvira’s eyes narrowed before staring at the girl on the ground. “I have no idea. I came back from a meeting with Lin that the Avatar never showed up to. I heard thumping on my way back and I found her like this. I did try to talk to her, but she kept droning on about wanting you here.”

Asami knelt, movements consciously steady. “Korra?”

Those pupils constricted a small degree, shrinking to a slightly less alarming diameter, a rim of light blue visible now. “Is it really you?!”

She smiled carefully, befuddled. “It sure is. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“You came!!!” Her hand was snatched up and clutched tightly, making her startle at the suddenness.

Glancing over at Kuvira, Asami buried a flash of embarrassment when Korra nuzzled the back of her hand like a pet greeting its master. The other woman was forcibly projecting disinterest, pretending not to watch the two of them. 

As uncomfortable as it made her, she decided to give the former soldier a bit of recognition. “Kuvira came to get me for you.”

“That’s sweet. You’re both sweet lil’ ladies.” Korra nodded to herself, a confirmation of her own assessment.

Kuvira frowned, her face marginally affronted, lip curled. “What is wrong with you? Are you drunk?!”

“‘Sami Sato!” The woman on the floor erupted loudly, ignoring the question in favor of asking one of her own. "Why does your name start with so many ‘esses’? Mine doesn’t even have one.” Clasping Asami’s cheeks in her hands to the point it puckered her lips slightly, Korra stared into wide green eyes.

“My first name doesn’t start with ‘s’, does it?” She murmured. Korra’s forehead pinched, brain short-circuited by the question, as she was released.

Asami’s brows crowded together, her face a picture of confusion, as she subtly scented the body beside her. Her girlfriend did not smell like alcohol, which she assumed would be the case if she’d consumed enough to turn her this… _sloshy_. Besides which, there was no evidence at all of drinking or liquor in their general proximity. _A gas leak maybe?_ Asami pondered it briefly, but there was no smell in the air either and no one else seemed affected.

“Kuvira,” They locked eyes, both trying to determine what to do and she said the only thing she could think of. “Could you grab her some water, maybe?”

With a curt nod, she was off to the kitchen area.

Swinging her body back limply, jelly-spined and loose, Korra exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. “’Sami!” She was unsure if she was intended to respond. The girl then slapped her own forehead and hunched over, grimacing. “I forgot you have an ‘A’ ‘cause I was merbling my jerds.”

“Spirits.” She whispered under her breath. “What happened to you?”

There was no response at all. Instead, the woman continued muttering mostly to herself. “Merble? Nope. Marble? Nope…mumbling!! Mumbling my jerds. Ah-sami. AH-sami. I got it!”

“Wow, okay. Let’s leave those jerds alone for now.” She gave her girlfriend a soft expression, petting her knee and utterly dumbfounded.

“Whoops!” Korra apologized, for what she wasn’t certain. The hearty chuckle which followed soon morphed into a concerned frown. “But if we leave the jerds all alone, won’t they be lonely?”

A yell from the kitchen interrupted them. “What did you…Avatar!!” 

Asami’s head whipped around. “What?! What is it?”

“Did you drink all of these?” In her hand, Kuvira held the bisected remains of some green fruit-like shell with a hollow but moist-looking middle. The woman thrust her other hand toward the kitchen in indication, where Asami could make out several more of the same fruit-esque objects, cut open and emptied. 

A shivering finger shot out, hyperextended at the accuser while a quick-fire temper flared. “You said I could!! I asked you!!!”

Kuvira was very obviously irritated, her composure fading. “Don't lie! I wasn’t even in the room!”

Rather than respond, Korra flopped onto her back, studying the ceiling and stretching her arms behind her head. The scanning motion of her eyes and the forming grin suggested she was watching something of particular interest parading around up there…something apparently invisible to lesser beings. 

“Do I even want to know what those are?” Asami asked, regarding the fruit suspiciously.

Sighing, the former dictator chucked the shells into a small bin with impressive accuracy. “It’s a specific type of cactus fruit. The water inside is a narcotic with hallucinogenic properties. Huan keeps them onboard. He uses them for ‘inspiration’ if you can imagine.”

Asami stood slowly, her gaze jumping from her sprawled partner to the collection of fruit pieces in the waste receptacle. “Is three a lot?”

“I can’t believe she did this and yes, three is a lot.” Filling a cup with water, Kuvira walked it over to the reclining Avatar.

“What should I do? Should I be watching her breathing? Can this make her sick?” Asami leaned against the wall, biting her lip concernedly. So her girlfriend was heavily drugged. Did she need to make Korra vomit? How in the world was she going to do that?

“First, I would relax.” The word irked her, being told to ‘relax’, to ‘calm down’…it was one of her least favorite things, but that was hardly important at the moment. “There’s nothing you can do but let it wear off. Here, drink this.” A cup was shoved in the recumbent woman’s face, who did not move. “Can you do it now?"

Korra sat herself up floppily, grabbing the cup and drinking obediently before stopping, abruptly. Her eyes became saucers. “Woah-hoo!!” Her girlfriend hollered joyfully. “It’s really tasty! Did you make this Kuvira?”

Awkwardness radiated from Kuvira as she struggled with a response to the nonsense exclamation. Asami smiled, small and to herself in observing them, imagining this was especially difficult for a woman who they’d never seen display an ounce of silliness. 

Korra’s face melted into an expression of childlike wonderment as she studied the cup, swirling some of the contents and bending it skyward. The liquid was forced into tiny spheres which the woman on the ground then merrily began to devour mid-air, one by one.

"Get yourself together!" Kuvira rolled her eyes, throwing a stiff hand out to chop through the remaining spheres, while her girlfriend watched, aghast at such savagery. 

“No, stop!! Don’t hurt them!!!” Korra swatted rapidly at Kuvira’s hands, who sneered and swatted back. It was certainly different from previous altercations between them, Asami noted…a slap fight. 

She watched the two curiously having no idea what to make of any of this, trying to calculate an approach for handling the situation. An intense sort of visual standoff developed between the two. Asami's eyes worriedly followed an agonizingly slow head tilt from Korra. Kuvira was leaning further and further back under the scrutiny, a subtle escape, body tensed for a fight. Without any warning, fingers dragged across the metalbender’s eyebrows who went absolutely rigid at the tracing motion.

“They’re soft!?! ‘Sami!! They’re soft like Naga’s ears!!! I thought they’d be hard!!” Korra rambled excitedly, eyes flying between her and Kuvira, before her voice dropped to a whisper. “…what are they made of?!” The Avatar pitched impossibly closer.

“Would you cut it out!” Kuvira twisted away, bobbing and weaving from continued and undeterred attempts on her visage, scooting like a crab on all fours.

The seated girl gave chase, sloppily licking her thumb and smearing the wet digit across the beauty mark beneath Kuvira’s eye.

“That does _not_ come off.” The hand was violently slapped away.

Asami was horrorstruck but thankfully her feet were rational enough to force intervention. She probably let that go on far too long, but it was just inexplicably fascinating. Still, how she’d let herself get so caught up, she wasn’t sure. The slap did nothing to quell whatever was driving her girlfriend’s explorations though. Asami stepped in and intercepted those wandering fingers, surprised at how nimbly they avoided her for the first half a second.

“I think you should leave Kuvira's face alone, for now, okay?” She said, using as soothing a tone as she could muster, placing those hands back in her girlfriend’s lap. The former soldier scrambled upright, dusting off her jacket aggressively as if it could brush the experience away. 

“But I was gonna touch yours!” Shocked upset painted the Avatar’s face before it changed to something slightly devilish. “Pfft. With my mouth!!”

She stuttered a bit. “Ah-hmm...we’ll have to see about that.”

“Fine.” Her girlfriend said petulantly, neck snapping into full extension with face pointed straight at the ceiling. An extremely dramatic sigh escaped. Unable to stop herself, Asami glanced up quickly, simply to reassure herself there actually was nothing there. “Hey, the stars came inside tonight!” Korra exclaimed before bringing her head back down. Taking a swig of the remaining water, the woman missed her mouth, spilling most of it down her front. Korra stared disbelieving down at her damp lap, agape. “My lips are broken!!”

Asami blinked. “Is she going to be alright? I think…I should just take her back to our room.”

Kuvira straightened her sleeves before interlocking her fingers behind her back and jutting out her chin. “Probably for the best. I wouldn’t leave her alone tonight. She’s bound to be useless for a little while.”

“You’re useless, Kuvira!!!” Her girlfriend protested before she laughed and shook her head. “I’m just kidding. I love you.” A frown took Asami’s lips, her bristling immediate.

“You…love me?” The metalbender reiterated unimpressed and cynical. It was another moment before Kuvira realized who she was standing beside, felt the mood. The woman then averted her gaze to the far wall, clearing her throat into her fist. 

“Mmhmm,” Korra confirmed, blissfully unaware of any tension. “Just don’t build any more huge metal bad things.” An index finger and pinky were extended, wrist flicking rapidly, a classic _‘I’m watching you’_ gesture. “Not cool.”

“And on that note,” Asami interjected, wanting very much to get her girlfriend away from Kuvira. “I think we should go.”

The metalbender reached out unexpectedly, touched her arm and she stared down at that hand, lifting an eyebrow. “Huan once told me I wasn’t allowed to look at him because my eyes were death rays when he drank that swill. Don’t read too much into anything she says.”

“I wasn’t reading into anything,” Asami answered quickly but calmly, undesiring of any additional emotional exposure. 

“I didn’t mean…” There was an unexpected softening in those usually unrevealing eyes.

Asami was aggravated at her own gentling in response. She wasn’t a person who found any joy in disliking another, a benefit of the doubt type, but that had bitten her in the past several times over and Kuvira absolutely had proven herself unworthy. The fact that they’d been forced together repeatedly on these reparative missions, that she was already starting to see humanity there and empathize with it despite the pain she harbored resultant of this woman…it wasn't something she felt ready for. 

Kuvira chose not to finish whatever she’d originally planned to say, shifting gears. “She’s probably not even going to remember this tomorrow. I don’t know why she touched that stupid fruit.”

“’Cause I like stupid fruits! And I heard this funny story about Chief Sokka!!” Korra revealed as she poked rapidly with her index fingers at the center of Asami’s palm when it was offered to help her stand.

Taken aback, Asami pulled her hand away. Her girlfriend hopped with surprising grace to her tiptoes.

“Let’s go!” And off the Avatar marched through the galley door.

Asami really needed to follow her, but the hasty and unanticipated exit left her at a momentary loss. Turning toward Kuvira, she spoke haltingly. “Thanks for getting me. I should…”

“Go. Good luck.” The woman answered quietly but with authenticity, clearly thinking she’d need it. 

She had to walk quickly to catch up. “‘Sami?”

“Hmm?” Reaching a hand out she redirected Korra by the waist down a hallway to their right, rather than allowing her to proceed into the engine room.

“AH-sami. Not ‘Sami.” There was a guilty look sent in her direction. “Sorry, my head calls you that sometimes.”

A smile came at the admission, that Korra had a nickname for her. “I don’t mind it. What were you gonna ask me?”

Blankness greeted her. “I wasn’t gonna ask you anything.”

This was potentially going to get frustrating. “How ‘bout we get you a little more water when we get back to the room? Then maybe you can sleep this off.”

Korra stopped as though her feet were glued to the floor, cessation of motion a possible new prerequisite for speech. “Wait, I’m gonna say something now.”

Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes for a moment. “Okay.”

Scratching at her neck, Korra peered at Asami with one eye open and a goofy smile. “It’s hard to remember things when I feel so good, you know? I feel really good.”

There was a moment of sadness when she realized she couldn't remember the last time there was such easy contentedness on Korra’s face. “That’s because you’re out of your mind on cactus water.”

“Nope.” The answer was quick and sure as their journey resumed. “It’s gotta be you. I didn’t feel good in the kitchen place till you showed up.”

Glancing down at the carpeting that lined the halls, she smiled softly. “That stuff makes you a flatterer.”

“Nope.” Her girlfriend shrugged, commencing a strange heavy-footed walk for no apparent reason. “Your face does.”

“Korra…” Staring at those leaden feet, her eyebrows drew together. “Are you okay? This is making me a little nervous.”

“Mmhmm. I’m good.” Korra nodded before her head whipped to either side. “Hey, why are there so many spirits on this boat? They keep singing.” That face changed from happiness to disgust. A finger was jammed into the Avatar’s ear and twisted viciously. “Badly.”

“We’re on an airship, I don’t see any spirits, and you’re walking funny.” She wondered whether any of that was worth saying as it left her mouth.

Korra tipped her head, continuing along with her stiff gate. “My ankles stopped working. Now my feet are rocks.” She provided, appearing rather put out about it. 

"Mm. That explains it.”

Pausing, the woman flattened herself against a nearby wall. “I’m gonna rest here for a minute while I tell you a secret.”

Asami felt her eyebrow lift, wishing she could say she wasn’t curious. “I’m not sure I should really be encouraging you to talk right now, Korra.”

Her girlfriend didn’t seem to hear the note of caution and melted downward, landing in a spread-legged sit. “Ready?” 

“Sure,” She answered around a good-natured sigh, taking a careful seat beside her. "As ready as I can be."

“I hate driving.” Korra pronounced, eyes rolling so far back in her head that nothing but whites showed, eyelids fluttering as she rested her head against the wall. 

Asami raised a disapproving eyebrow. “That’s not much of a secret.”

Korra silently stared at her, nearly through her and Asami resisted the urge to break the intense eye contact. “’Cause that’s not the secret!” Pupils refocused and she watched as mischief and embarrassment warred on her girlfriend’s face. “The secret is I’m not really _that_ bad it.”

Genuine interest rose inside her. “Oh?”

Korra shrugged. “I mean I was at first. What's a clutch?? I don’t think anyone knows.” It was difficult to hold back the argument on the tip of her tongue. “But now it’s my heart. It loves when you drive and it also loves your _'teacher'_ voice, so I have to pretend to bad at it still, so you’ll use it.” A _'teacher'_ voice was not a thing she was aware she even possessed, and for whatever reason, the comment made her shy. Pursing her lips, the Avatar brought a knee up, resting an elbow there and then her chin. “I think my heart might have a crush on your googles too.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Um…I guess that’s a good thing? With us being together and all.”

“It didn’t tell you!?” Her girlfriend seemed legitimately ticked off over it and sprang up, trudging haphazardly down the hall again.

“What? Your heart?” She asked, shoving her body up and following again.

“Yeah!” The woman lamented, throwing her hands out in annoyance. “It was _supposed_ to tell you.”

It was a toss-up in her mind, as to whether she should lie and say she spoke with Korra’s heart or tell the truth. In the end, the truth seemed the more logical route. “Nope. Your heart’s been pretty quiet. No mention of my goggles,” A strand of dark hair was tucked behind her ear self-consciously. “Or my _'teacher'_ voice.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Korra shook her head. "I don’t know why it didn’t tell you. Man, my heart’s dumb.”

Asami was not entirely sure what to do with that. “How about you tell me some of this again when you’ve come down? I'm curious how you'd phrase it then. It might even be romantic.”

“Fine, I will!” The declaration was full of vigor and her girlfriend raising a fist and gazing starry-eyed at the ceiling. “I’m gonna romance you _soo_ hard, ‘Sami.” The tone betrayed competitiveness and was paired with hands slapping together maniacally. 

It was honestly alarming, the determination in those eyes and the expression of dedicated resolve. “I’m not sure I’m fully prepared for that.”

“Get prepared!!!” Korra pronounced, electing to cease walking altogether, in favor of some delicate jumping maneuvers. “Just don’t tell Mako.” The girl warned.

It was a strange thing to say she thought and at least the leaping across the floor meant they were moving faster. “Why can’t I tell Mako? He knows about us already.”

Korra quirked her lips. “Not about me trying romance stuff!! He’d make that stupid face he makes.”

Smirking, her eyes traced the patterns in the runner lining the hall again. “I don’t think I’m familiar with his stupid face.”

Apparently, this was exasperating…at least the long-suffering sigh she received would seem to say so. “That’s ‘cause he doesn’t give _you_ his stupid face, but it’s like this!” The expression was beyond description and she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or back away, but she was dead certain she’d never seen another soul make a face that came close, let alone Mako. “It’s like…an angry Pabu or something. It’s the judgiest.”

“I wouldn’t want you to get any undeserved angry Pabu face.” She answered with all the seriousness she could muster.

“We could just keep it a secret from everyone if you want.” They _could,_ but that seemed incompatible with whatever _'hard romancing'_ turned out to be. 

“But if you start ‘ _romancing’_ me hard enough, don’t you think people might notice?” The tease was good-natured and primarily due to her current fixation on what exactly it would involve.

Korra nodded sagely, touching her chin. “That’d be bad, huh?”

That wasn’t at all what she intended. “No, I don’t think it would.” She corrected gently.

“Maybe I could just romance you medium instead of hard? That might be better.” Her girlfriend suggested, gazing at her hopefully.

“Sounds like a plan.” Asami reached to take the girl’s hand in her own…mind occupying itself with thoughts of the possible 'medium' level romancing to come. It was unimaginable really. 

Korra intertwined their fingers and began to swing their arms a little wildly. “I’ll take you out, then you can come home with me and meet my parents.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I’ve already met your parents though."

With a suddenly excited face, Korra turned around toward the bridge of the ship, dragging her a little. “I’m gonna see if my mom picks up on the radio!! I gotta tell her I love her.”

Planting her feet, she gently tugged at their still entwined hands, halting her girlfriend who turned around to stare. “That’s sweet, but Senna’s probably sleeping. How about tomorrow?” Asami reasoned softly. 

Korra spent a few seconds thinking it over, before shrugging and allowing herself to be drawn back toward their original direction of travel. “Okay. ‘Sami?”

“Yes, Korra?”

“I’m gonna sit down again.” And then her girlfriend did, rather unceremoniously, their still locked hands pulling a stumbling Asami down with. “Hey, what color are your real lips? The ones underneath the red ones.”

She rubbed at her own knuckles, listening to the tiny pops and crackles, before glancing over at her lover intrigued. “They’re still the same lips underneath and I know you’ve seen them before. What color do you remember them being?”

Korra considered the question, concentrating deeply. “White?”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Let's hope not."

There was a strong head shake and she worried after her girlfriend’s neck. “No, pink I mean. They’re pink…I’m pretty sure! ...does it taste like something?”

“Does what taste like something?”

Blue eyes were riveted to her mouth. “Your lipstick.”

It made her subconsciously lick her own lips, a quick dart of her tongue. “It’s not much of a taste and you’ve kissed me before while I’m wearing it.”

“HA! Yeah, I have.” The most absurd cockiness overtook her lover’s face, and then a wink followed. A tiny scoff of a chuckle escaped from her lips. She hadn’t seen that inflated self-assurance in Korra since they'd first met and never directed at her. “What do you think I’d look like with those color lips?”

It wasn’t a thing Asami hadn’t ever considered. In fact, she’d often wondered what Korra thought of her makeup, of makeup in general, if it was something that might interest her. She wondered often enough to realize that her own shades wouldn’t do. Their complexions were entirely different. “We could try it if you want, but I think we might be better off choosing a different color.”

“Ooh, yeah. Like blue maybe?” The earnest ponderance made her smile.

She couldn’t even imagine what that would look like, or where they’d procure such a hue. “That would certainly be a statement. You don’t feel sick or anything, do you? No headache or stomachache or anything?”

“Nope!! I still feel really good. All warm and relaxed, even if my head is a little spinny. The world feels like…like fresh buns, you know? When they come out of the oven and burn your fingers and mouth, but it’s so good you just can’t stop.” It wasn’t totally unrelatable. “Can you stay with me tonight?” Korra added quickly, gazing at her with anticipative rather innocent-looking eyes.

“I did tell Kuvira I would.” She said, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s cheek and stroking a thumb over the ridge of bone. 

That bottom lip was sticking out. “You don’t want to?”

Asami cocked her head, puzzled. “No, I do want to. I wanna make sure you’re okay and we usually stay together now, don’t we?”

“Yup!” And all was apparently right now because Korra was standing again. Asami hauled herself up as they made their way back toward the lodgings. They were blessedly most of the way there now. 

“How about stairs? Think you can make it?” She questioned, eyeballing the short flight while resisting the urge to inquire about the state of Korra’s rock-feet situation.

“I’ll carry you.”

Suddenly she was swept up bridal style, tripling her heartbeat and drawing a gasp. It was insane how strong her girlfriend was, all too easy to forget that superhuman strength sometimes. She was being held as though it took no effort. Asami couldn’t say she hated it or that there was no appeal, but being carried up a flight of stairs by her high and unpredictable girlfriend seemed a poor decision for both of them.

“Um, Korra…” 

“Yeah?” They stared at each other, and she fought the heat rising in her neck as they locked eyes in this position. Her feet turned inward automatically, the toes of her boots overlapping with bashfulness and she felt stupid for her reaction. 

Asami cleared her throat and reassured herself that she was absolutely not swooning. “I appreciate it, but can you put me down? We’ll walk together?”

“Hey!! Asami! Korra!” And they whipped around at the voice. The shock of being whirled resulted in the girlish reaction of throwing her hands about Korra’s neck.

“Sami! It’s Bolin!!!” Her girlfriend pronounced excitedly, while she tried to find any semblance of dignity in her current position.

“Mm, I see that.” She commented playfully that heat burning beneath her skin again. “How ‘bout putting me down now?” She pleaded and this time Korra immediately complied.

“Sooooo, what’s going on over here?” Bolin asked curiously, a big smile on his face.

“I drank some fruits and now I’m too happy and she misses being asleep!” Korra explained.

“Mmhmm Mmhmm.” He rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”

“We have a cactus water situation.” Asami caught his eyes, while his mouth formed an ‘o’, and then he eyed Korra appraisingly. The woman only grinned proudly at him, eyes closed. “Wanna walk us up? Just in case someone has trouble with the stairs?”

“She’s worried ‘cause my feet are rocks.” Her girlfriend added with a shrug, as though her explanation were insufficient.

“That _does_ seem like it would be a problem.” He offered generously.

“Ok. ‘Sami, you stay downstairs! Bolin can come back to carry you since you don’t want me to.” The girl ordered as all three of them started up the stairs, pointing to a spot where she should apparently go back down to stand.

“I think she’s okay, Korra. She’s already walking with us. See?” Bolin reassured, sending her _‘whew boy’_ look over his shoulder.

“But she’s tired ‘cause I woke her up and made her come get me.” 

“I’m fine. I wasn’t asleep, don’t you worry.” She corrected kindly. 

Shuffling across the step she was on horizontally, Korra hopped up sideways up to the next. Bolin’s arms were extended like two robotic guards on either side, Asami ready behind.

Her girlfriend turned her head, eyes tracing her body slowly, a question in her expression. “Your legs are long. Maybe you don't need to be carried. You could probably even do two steps at once, I bet.”

She raised an eyebrow, and took the stairs two at once, while Korra’s mouth dropped open before she did an actual double-take. The woman then bumped a fist into the man’s chest, sending him stumbling.

“Bolin!!!”

“Oomph.” He coughed and chided, righting himself before patting her shoulder. “Woah there champ. Be gentle with me! What’s up?”

“’Sami’s amazing, right?”

Chuckling, he slung an arm around Korra and her both. “She’s the best!”

“Have you seen her legs?” The woman whispered, behind her hand and into Bolin’s ear.

He pinked immediately, shooting her an apologetic look, she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “Uh-huh, yup. They’re really nice legs.”

“But so are yours!” Korra announced, slapping the meaty side of his thigh, pinching it, and making him jump. “They’re all big and muscle-y, like a pumped-up arm but a leg instead. ‘Sami, do you like Bolin’s arm legs? I bet Opal does!!” Her girlfriend commented. 

“They’re very shapely.” She joked, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding when they thankfully reached the top step. Korra jumped up first and spun around frantically before she could follow. 

“ ‘Sami wait! Stop, stop.” She and Bolin exchanged an alarmed glance, as he slid to the side. Stepping up cautiously to see if he would be permitted, Korra paid him no mind. Apparently only she had to stay on the last step.

“What is it? What's...” Asami started.

“Wait. Please!!!” It was chocked full of distress and she froze up, nervous.

“Okay!? Korra, look!” She touched her girlfriend’s shoulder lightly, soothingly. “I’m waiting.”

“I want this just once!” The woman begged, stepping right up to her, so they were a nose apart. “I never get to be taller.” Confused and entertained she gazed slowly up at her girlfriend who even a step above was only about three inches higher. Korra tipped her head down, all smiles. It was undeniably a position they’d never been in and she tried her best to keep a straight face when hands carded through her hair and Korra bent to kiss her forehead. “Thanks, 'Sami. I feel better now.”

“Aww. That was special.” Bolin murmured, smiling. 

And she was then allowed to join them, not bothering to make any sense of what just occurred. 

Korra grabbed his hand in hers and started swinging it as she had Asami’s in the hallway prior, resuming her march. “I’m glad we’re friends, Bolin. And Mako too, even with his Pabuface!”

“Aren’t you the sweetest little thing tonight?” He said. 

“Yeah.” Her girlfriend agreed readily.

Asami stayed back for a moment, resetting herself. She was suddenly thankful, that whatever the potential side-effects were to this fruit, Korra's experience seemed entirely positive. It was just silliness and excitement and things could be going much worse. If the most profound reaction was the skipping which was now occurring, her girlfriend and Bolin bouncing down the hall together, it could definitely be worse. Asami watched the spectacle, two steps behind and heart full.

“Oh, so why does Mako have a Pabu face? Did I miss that or…” He asked over his shoulder as they neared the door.

“It’s a long story.” She remarked dismissively, squeezing his forearm. Bolin understood and let it be. 

Korra halted again, face crinkling and hands on her hips. “Hey!! Where _is_ Mako? Wait, where’s his pet scarf? I haven't seen it in a while. Did he lose it?! We need to help him. Mako?” Cupping hands over her mouth, the Avatar yelled into the empty hallway, alarming both her companions. “MAKO!!!”

“Korra!! Hey, hey.” Bolin was able to capture her girlfriend's attention before she did. “I think people are sleeping."

Lips drew back from teeth, and the woman hissed. “Oh, sorry.” Her girlfriend’s eyes locked on the man’s, expression concerned and failing at a whisper. “Bolin! You have to tell Mako I love him, and I love you too, and that I hope he finds his scarf.”

He nodded soberly. “I sure will! And we love you too, Korra. Don’t worry! Grandma has the scarf and she’s safe at Asami’s place.”

Blue eyes flipped toward her now, staggered. “You took their Grandma?!”

At a loss, she shook her head as she opened their cabin door. Bolin and she politely guided the exuberant Avatar inside. Korra pulled the man into a fierce hug and he returned it cheerfully.

“You’re a good hugger. This is such a good hug.” Her girlfriend muttered into his broad shoulders affectionately. Asami was instantly brought back to multiple occasions where the man had snatched her right off the ground, all warmth and enthusiasm. He was a wonderful hugger, in fact. 

"Haha, thanks!” He chuckled, squeezing her tightly before releasing. “Uh...how ‘bout you do whatever Asami tells you tonight, okay Korra?”

"Yes sir." Her girlfriend saluted him, which he returned as well. 

They all bid each other goodnight. He threw Asami a quick thumbs-up before jogging off down the hall. Watching him until he disappeared around the corner, she locked the door just as Korra’s voice sounded behind her. 

“Do you think we should go wake Lin up? I didn’t tell her I love her.”

It was relieving to hear that her girlfriend simply loved everyone tonight, but the terribleness of that idea was incontrovertible. “I don’t thin…”

“NAGA!!!” And her girlfriend all but leaped onto her pet, hugging the polar bear dog about the neck as the creature happily soaked in the attention. “I’m gonna tell you a secret,” Korra whispered to the animal. 

“So much love and so many secrets tonight,” Asami commented, watching the two of them affectionately.

“This one is for her.” The response was accompanied by a huge smile.

“Should I wait in the other room?” She questioned lightly. 

“No, it’s okay. You can hear it. Naga…” Lifting a large white ear, Korra spoke caringly into it. “I love you girl. I love you more than the moon and the sun and the stars in the sky. Forever and always. And I lied. That’s wasn’t a secret, was it? ‘Cause I tell you that all the time.” Her girlfriend then took the giant animal's head in her hands and rested her nose between black eyes.

“You tell her that all the time?” The inquiry was soft, and as she watched the two of them, her mind unbidden conjured images of Korra with the airbender kids...holding Rohan, those spurts of vaguely maternal energy. It was an odd thought that she shook away. 

“Mmhmm,” Korra muttered into the fur of Naga’s forehead. “That face and her nose…these ears?!?! Mm, they’re the best triangles in the whole world. Isn’t she beautiful?"

Asami smiled fondly when she walked over and ran fingers through the fur atop the creature’s back, wagging tail thumping on the floor. “She’s the most beautiful girl.”

Squinting her eyes Korra stood up straight and then glanced at her, cheerful and adoring. “Yeah, I got all the beautiful girls. I guess.” She couldn’t quite contain the resultant blush. 

With only minimal back-and-forth after that, mild on the gibberish, Asami managed to convince Korra to change and ready herself for bed, while she did the same. Her girlfriend kept sending her goofy little grins and fidgetting restlessly, but otherwise was decently cooperative. When all was prepared, they sat on the bed together and she looked over at the other woman one more time. Those dilated eyes…they kept feeding the pit of worry in her stomach.

“Spirits, your pupils are still huge. I’m gonna feel your pulse, just to put my mind at ease about this.” What that would do, she wasn’t sure. Asami was not a doctor nor a healer, but she needed something to reassure herself. When her fingers made contact, Korra jerked away, shivering. “Are you okay?"

“Your hands are ice talons.” The girl reprimanded but allowed her to approach again and the beat was steady. She counted…it was a normal pulse, she thought. “Gimme these.” Korra reached up and grabbed her wrists, and then shoved them beneath her own shirt. Abdominals tightened as her chilled fingers met them.

“Do I get to have my hands back or…?” She murmured, watching that face contort with the stress of remedying her chilled hands.

“Not until they’re alive again.” Korra pushed out through her teeth, body relaxing a little as her skin absorbed some heat.

“You’re always so warm.” It was an observation she’d made on several occasions already. She wondered if it was due to Korra's birthplace. If the lower temperatures had some sort of biological effect or maybe she was just a naturally warmer person.

“Hey, wanna feel something weird?”

The question was a concerning one. “That’s never a good place to start,” But Korra did not wait for an answer and she felt the oddest sensation against her palms. It was a rhythmic rolling of muscles starting by ribs and passed by her hands, over and over. “…what are you doing?”

“My belly’s a wave!” Her girlfriend actually giggled as she said this, forcing the muscular movements into further exaggeration. “Whew!”

She was blinking at nothing, hands still held in place by the wrists. “How and why would you learn to do that?”

“For dancing!”

“…dancing?!” Her wrists were dropped, and her girlfriend hopped down from the bed, standing now. “Korra, what…”

“I always liked to dance even when I was a kid.” Holding up her shirt, clutching it just beneath her sternum, the abdominal rolling continued extending in a full-body thing that ended with a firm planting of Korra's leg. Those muscles flexed beneath smooth skin with each shift. Asami tried to look away politely, she truly did, but her eyes would not obey her. It shouldn’t have stunned her the way it did in any case, Korra could move smoothly, powerfully. How different was dancing from bending forms really? But goodness. “We do it at festivals sometimes. The guys do this part, but I always liked it better ‘cause of the stomp. It’s good, right?” 

And the stomping in question involved a lot of hip and pelvis. “It’s very nice.”

“I couldn’t do it when I was little ‘cause I had no stomach.” The absurd statement was a help really, took her attention away from those abdominals for a needed stretch. “I had a pudge ball instead, so you couldn’t see the wave!”

“Well, you certainly can now.” She attempted to joke, but it was quite true and quite distracting.

“Huh. It goes almost all the way down,” Korra said, sounding surprised as she drew her own finger along the vee which delineated her abdominals, stopping only when it dipped below the waistline of her pants, which the woman took a quick peek down. The action popped Asami’s eyes wide. “Dance with me!” Her lover grabbed her hands, but she resisted…red alarms sounding in her mind.

"Nononono.” She slipped out of the grip, shoulders near her ear. There was no way that would go well for her and she just felt wrong…ethically. “Korra..." She rasped out. "No dancing for me tonight, okay? I’m gonna get myself some water.”

When she came back into the room, Korra was sitting cross-legged and forlorn in the center of the bed. The woman’s hands were wrapped around her feet. “Asami?”

“Hmm?” She was still working on gaining the rest of her composure, sipping. 

Korra was nibbling her own lower lip. “Are you mad at me?”

The question surprised and worried her. “Why do you think I’m mad at you?”

“'Cause you said four ‘no’s’. I didn’t mean to pull you or tell you so much tonight or dance! I know I'm too excited. It’s just that I felt so happy when you came to get me. I feel happy every time I see you. You’re my warm bun person. If that was too weird, I can sleep on the floor with Naga. I used to do that when we went fishing back home.” Her girlfriend offered.

“I don’t want you to sleep on the floor and honestly, that's probably one of the less strange things you’ve said tonight.” Shaking her head, she laid on the bed near Korra’s seated form, slipping herself under the covers.

“...does that mean I can get some cuddles?” Her girlfriend whispered.

Laughing softly, she nodded and opened her arms. “Come here.” She knew, though it was never stated explicitly, that her girlfriend enjoyed being held now and then.

Korra was thankfully a little gentler with her movements than she’d been previously in the evening, as she scooted back into Asami’s arms. 

“I don't get how you can feel so good.” The woman murmured with a happy little hum.

She rubbed at her lover's stomach, pressed a kiss against her shoulder. “I could say the same thing about you."

Korra's toes wiggled excitedly against her shin. “I hope I dream something like Naga does tonight. I think she has dreams about running super-fast, ‘cause of how her paws move. That would be a good dream.”

Reflecting on it, Asami couldn’t disagree…that a dream about running really fast, the wind on your body, the sort of carefree running that dogs were prone to when they played, there were certainly worse things one could dream about. “I’m sure it would.”

“I bet you run fast.”

“Not that fast, but fast enough. I’m better over distances.” She closed her eyes, a touch of sleepiness starting to hit which she struggled against. 

“What if you could run on top of the ocean? You’d be just like a fish and you could run all the way to my parent's house! That’d be a good dream too.”

“I think you might be misremembering how fish work. Have we moved from secrets to dreams?”

Asami felt Korra tighten up her arms, intertwine their fingers as her voice became quiet. “Why do I still have so many bad ones? Do you think I always will?”

She sighed, a pang in her chest. “I don’t know. I really wish I could fix that for you. Korra...you've mentioned your parents a couple of times. Are you feeling homesick?" And she wasn't entirely sure why she was asking her girlfriend questions right now, but the repeated themes were pinging her attention. 

“I miss fat snowflakes!” Her girlfriend remarked mournfully. “The snowflakes in Republic City are too skinny. Does it make you sad?”

“That the snowflakes aren’t fat enough? Not really, I don’t think I like snow anywhere as much as you do. Why don’t we go see your parents the next time we can?”

Her girlfriend rubbed exploratorily at her fingers where they were tangled. “Ok, but I wasn’t talking about that making you sad. I mean does it make you sad that this never happened to me before, so I didn’t see it for a long time. Like a hidden egg that I didn’t notice until it was in my lap. It makes me sad sometimes.”

“Like a hidden egg in your…lap.” Try as she might, she couldn’t follow. “I’m not sure what we’re talking about.”

With a deep inhalation, Korra smoothed her thumb over one of Asami’s knuckles. “Me liking you when you’re another girl. I didn’t even know I could do that, so it took me a long time to get it. That’s my lap egg. I think you found yours quicker. Maybe you knew about your eggs already? Sorry that you had to wait for mine.” The other woman’s tone was soft, full of apology and confusion.

Asami kissed her behind her ear this time, which made her girlfriend shuffle backward, tucking firmer into their embrace. “Don’t be sorry. I’ve told you before it’s okay.” Unseen, she smiled to herself at the ridiculousness of the metaphor. “And I think you did fine with your...lap egg.”

“Did you mean it?” Korra asked, again hopeful and slightly muffled against the pillow.

“That you did fine? Of course, I…”

She was interrupted. “No, that you'd let me try to romance you?” Romance was another of those repeated themes, one that drew uncertainty. It seemed so necessary to Korra right now, the idea of romance between them...as though it were missing. She attempted to follow Kuvira’s advice, to not read into it. 

“If you still want that tomorrow, I’ll find a day I can take off and you can ‘romance’ me however you’d like.” 

“I know I’m bad at it, but don’t worry! I’m gonna make you happy. I'll figure it out.” And there was the elusive reasoning behind it, one that generated a stab of sorrow. 

“Hey, Look at me.” Korra turned in her arms, inquisitive and staring at her with giant unguarded eyes. “I love you and I _am_ happy.”

“Me too.” Her girlfriend smiled, tucking hands beneath her cheeks, gaze admiring. Unprompted, Korra then frowned and cupped her cheek with one hand. “But I hate how many bad things happened to you, ‘Sami. I know it makes you sad sometimes. You’re a good one and you never deserved any of that stuff! Not what happened with me and Mako, or your dad, or your company, or your mom.”

She understood, appreciated, but there was nothing more to said about those things. “Korra…” Shaking her head, Asami silenced her girlfriend with a touch and averted her eyes, annoyed by the sting in the corners of them. “Why don’t we rest?”

Leaning forward, Korra pressed a kiss to her forehead for the second time. "Ok. I think I'm starting to feel less spinny."

Asami was glad for it. "That's good."

Observing with curious eyes, she saw her girlfriend's jaw set decisively, blue eyes lighting up with newfound purpose. “I wanna get you flowers when this plane decides it’s done moving.”

A small smile came to her lips at the sentiment. “That would be very sweet.”

“I’ll get you so many. At least three of them!”

She giggled against her hand at the randomness. “Three, huh? Don’t you think that’s a little extravagant?” It was a light-hearted poke that went right over Korra's head. 

“No. I wish I caught those inside stars for you earlier or made the ceiling spirits sing you a better song, but I'll bring you the best three flowers I can find. I promise.” It was the sweetest nonsense she’d ever heard, but then those eyes solidified even further. “And then, you know what I'm gonna do?”

The sudden and absolute seriousness worried her a little. “...I’m a little scared to ask.”

Korra nuzzled into her neck, almost as if she were hiding. Confused but willing, she held the woman as quiet words were sunnily murmured into her skin. “I’m gonna finish your necklace and ask you to marry me.”

Heart thundering in her chest at the reveal, Asami came to an instant decision that she needed to try and ignore those words. If it had only been a statement about _wanting_ to marry her, she would’ve found it endearing, perhaps even brushed it off as influenced, or at a minimum augmented by the cactus water. This was different though. Apparently, her Water Tribe girlfriend was already making her a necklace, the effort pre-dating tonight’s shenanigans. She was certain that if Korra had her wits about her, the woman would not have wanted her to know about the necklace. If Kuvira was to be believed, come tomorrow morning it was fully possible Korra would not remember saying it. In that case, Asami would need to pretend it hadn't transpired. But she knew now…that was unchangeable. Asami knew that this woman in her arms wanted more, wanted a promise made between. The knowledge that actions had been taken filled her up, shut her thoughts down and overwhelmed her in the sweetest of ways. She’d thought of more with Korra in the safety of solitude, but with how slowly things between them developed, how wrong so many things had gone in her life, how often she’d misjudged people…her caution had grown over the years.

On those rare occasions though, when she forgot to check herself, she’d only ever imagined that she'd be the one to propose to Korra. It was not a thing she could explain, either...why she pictured it that way. But now she put the cactus water out of her mind for a moment, let herself think on something beautiful for the two of them, something presented to her, something purely their own that they would build together, something untouched by the world or duty.

“I think we should get some sleep.” She suggested softly, emotions saturated, and thoughts far away. 

“Mmk,” Korra mumbled unconcerned, her previous statement already forgotten it would seem. The woman moved back just enough to settle comfortably against her. "Night." It was half lost in a yawn.

“Goodnight.” Was her mindless response. 

Asami closed her eyes and focused on the warmth where their bodies touched, kissed the top of her girlfriend's head, indulged for just another second in imaginings of a shared future. Floating through the darkness, she and Korra together with everything rendered miniature beneath; the calm she found earlier turned to peace. 


End file.
